Thailand

It all became crystal clear on my trip to Thailand. It's more than the lack of answering machines or the difficulty forming a line that I hate about Turkmenistan. After a week in Thailand of not being singled out on the street for our hair color, Carrie, Katie and I pinpointed why we loved Thailand so much. The people are happy. They smile all the time! They laugh and enjoy themselves. Things there work conveniently and I felt like I had privacy for the first time. I used to think people were paranoid here--worried about all the ears and eyes. . . but I caught the bug too. A week away helped put things into perspective. I miss the happiness and smiles!

I actually missed Turkmenstan while I was away. That was an unexpected surprise. We spent two days in Bangkok, saw Wat Pho and took some time to look around the city. We ate some great food and I had my doctor's appointment (the actual reason I was there). Then Carrie and I went north to Chiang Mai. We spent three days walking, shopping, walking, learning to cook Thai food, walking, visiting temples, and walking some more. One broken pair of sandals later we headed back to Bangkok for a final check-up, a night of partially-successful salsa dancing, and more food.

I was looking foward to being back in Ashgabat--until I heard the weather report. 35 in Thailand and a crisp 45 in Turkmenistan. I looked on the internet--I believe that's about 113 degrees. Then there was the lack of a line at the airport. . . or more of a mass of elbows.

Now I'm back to work teaching English to mobs of young people and trying not to smile too much. I'm on my way to Ashgabat for a 4th of July party tomorrow. I feel more assimilated and more comfortable by the day, but that doesn't make me like this place. Soon it'll become difficult to leave. Not difficult to be away from this society, but I have a horrible sinking feeling every time I think of leaving the few people I really care about and the few who really care. I wish I had the power to turn this place around but working from the bottom up isn't making waves of change. We need a new deal. Until then.